Media Poetry Studio is designed as a female-only camp. We want the girls in our camp to be center stage, without gender-based competition. According to The Girls Middle School in Palo Alto, “girls routinely are called upon less, receive less feedback, and display lower self-esteem than boys. (However) girls at single-sex schools are more likely to take non-traditional courses in subjects that run against gender stereotypes. With fewer gender distractions, girls learn to be more competitive and accept leadership roles.”

Other studies show that girls tend to shy away from technology in middle school, just as boys are gaining mastery: “many girls’ interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math wanes as they get older because of socialization and lack of exposure and access.”